Chapter 7
Pike carried Dallas all the way to the cafeteria, not putting her down until they reached the line.
The area was busy this morning, much more so than when they’d visited last night.
Several people looked at her and Daddy, but they all seemed really nice and they smiled at them both.
Daddy filled their plates as they walked down the line.
“Hold Daddy’s pocket,” he commanded when they left the line.
She did, not as confused as the night before when he’d asked her to do it.
He sat her in the same spot as before and gave her then same firm command not to move before going to get drinks for them again.
“Hi, Dallas!”
Dallas looked up and smiled big when she saw Sadie. “Hi!”
Sadie was already dressed in her school uniform, and she had two friends with her. “These are my friends Hayleigh and Wren,” the petite brunette introduced. “This is Dallas.”
“Hi, Dallas,” Wren said. She had on a school uniform just like Sadie. Her hair was red and curly and Dallas thought she was adorable, especially with the scattering of freckles across her face.
“Hi, Wren.”
“Hi, Dallas,” Hayleigh said. “Is today your first day at the Ranch?”
Dallas decided Hayleigh had the prettiest smile she’d ever seen. “Daddy and I got in yesterday.”
“Will you be with the Butterflies?” Sadie asked, looking over her outfit.
Dallas guessed the Butterflies and Caterpillars didn’t wear uniforms. “No,” Dallas answered, swallowing her nerves. “I’ll be with the Caterpillars.” Her heart beat in her throat as she waited to see if the Little girls would be judgmental of her younger headspace.
“You’ll have so much fun! Have you met Nanny J yet?” Wren asked.
Dallas shook her head, thankful they seemed completely normal about it.
“She’s in charge of the Caterpillars and she’s really nice. She can look pretty firm and can be very strict, but she takes such good care of all of us,” Wren said.
“But make sure you’re a good girl because she will tell your Daddy if you’re not,” Hayleigh added in a softer tone as if conveying some dark secret even if she was smiling as she spoke.
Oh, Dallas was sure she was going to be on her best behavior. She didn’t want to be spanked by anyone on her very first day… or any day for that matter.
“Hello, new friends,” Pike said as he walked back to the table. He set their drinks down on the table and smiled at all the Little girls.
“Hello,” they all echoed politely.
“This is my Daddy, Pike,” Dallas introduced. A bell echoed through the air. It wasn’t loud but it still caused her to jump. Pike sat beside her and rubbed her back, comforting her with his silent strength.
“Oh, that’s our bell, but maybe we can play later? I’ll ask my Daddy to talk to your Daddy,” Sadie said.
Dallas nodded.
“Bye, Dallas, bye, Master Pike,” the trio yelled as they rushed to class.
“Walking feet, little girls,” Pike corrected.
“Yes, Sir,” they called, slowing down.
Daddy turned to her and winked.
She giggled.
He cut her breakfast up into tiny pieces and her heart swelled in her chest. She didn’t, even for a second, forget how lucky she was to have such a wonderful man in her life.
Pike always had taken the best care of her, from the time her brother was diagnosed with cancer to now, he’d always provided her with whatever she needed, whether it be emotional or physical, or material.
“Are you okay, Bitty Baby?” Pike asked.
She shook her head, clearing it from its thoughts. “I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have you, Daddy.”
He turned her sideways in her chair and took both her hands in his. “I am the lucky one, babygirl. I’ll never understand how someone as beautiful and sweet as you would want to be with a grumpy, stompy, growly man like me.”
“My shoe is untied,” Dallas said.
“Your shoe is tied, Bitty Baby,” Pike answered.
“I forgot my pants.”
“You don’t need pants, Bitty. You have on tights.”
“I forgot to brush my teeth.”
“We brushed your teeth this morning.”
“Teefs forgot to brush her hair.”
Pike chuckled, picking her up. “Teefs doesn’t have hair.”
Daddy was walking her to the nursery and the closer they got, the more nervous she felt. She’d been making excuses since they’d left the cafeteria.
“I promise I’m not making you stay today, baby. We’re going to have a whole day of Bitty and Daddy fun, but I do want you to see the nursery and meet Nanny J so you’re not so terrified tomorrow.”
“I’ll still be scared tomorrow,” Dallas argued, burying her head in his neck.
He patted her back as he continued walking. “I know, but I promise you won't stay scared. You’re going to love it once your nervous butterflies fly away.”
Dallas didn’t think he knew too much about her nervous butterflies because she was sure they were moving into her belly permanently.
“Look, Bitty Baby. There’s your teacher.
” Pike set her on her feet and turned her to face the direction where an older woman stood in front of a door with caterpillars decorating the glass top half.
The woman had her hair pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck.
She wore horn-rimmed glasses, a white blouse and a black skirt.
She smiled, a real genuine smile at Dallas and clasped her hands together in front of her.
“Hello, sweet girl! Are you coming to play with us today?”
“T-tomorrow,” Dallas said, closing the distance between them. She held Teefs tightly against her chest.”
“You’re going to come play with us tomorrow? That will be so much fun,” the woman encouraged.
“My name is Dallas. This is my Daddy Pike,” Dallas said.
“My name is Nanny J and I am so happy to meet you both. Who is your friend?” Nanny J asked, nodding her head toward Teefs.
“This is my zombie baby, Teefs.” She turned the lovie around so the woman could see her better.
“Well, isn’t she just the spookiest! Do you like zombies?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Dallas said after taking a shaky breath. Pike rested his hands on her shoulders, giving her silent support.
“You must be so brave! Zombies are spooky to me.”
Dallas smiled, liking the silly banter. “I won’t let Teefs eat you,” Dallas promised.
“Oh, thank you,” Nanny J said with a wink toward Daddy.
“Teefs is going to stay with Dallas during school time, but Dallas promised Teefs would be on her very best behavior,” Daddy said.
“I promise,” Dallas said with a nod.
“Okay, as long as you promise,” she said, touching her hand to her heart.
“Can you show Nanny J what makes Teefs so special?” Pike asked Dallas.
She turned the zombie over and opened the velcro patch on her back. She pulled out her rescue inhaler and showed it to Nanny J. “In case of an emergency.”
“Dallas has asthma. We keep it managed with dietary restrictions and medication, but just in case of an emergency, she is prepared while she is here. I did fill out the forms online,” Pike explained.
“Oh, that’s brilliant! I have the forms out to look over before tomorrow but thank you for taking the time to tell me as well. We want to keep Dallas safe! And Teefs must be so helpful to you and Dallas by keeping her medicine safe,” Nanny J said.
Dallas nodded. Teefs had a bad reputation, but she really was a good friend.
“We stopped by so that Dallas could meet you and see the room so maybe she won’t be so nervous,” Pike explained.
“Well, that was a wonderful idea. Why don’t you both come in and I’ll introduce you to everyone,” Nanny J said.
Dallas nodded and grabbed Daddy’s hand.
“You’re being so brave,” Daddy told her, following Nanny J inside the room.
She looked around the room, taking in all the bright colors.
She was drawn to a soft pastel area that was clearly a reading nook.
It had large bean bag chairs, and they made the room look so cozy.
There was also a large art area, adult-size cribs like the one in their suite, mats with colorful blankets, highchairs, a large changing table, and a dollhouse Teefs was begging to explore.
“As you can see, we have lots of toys to play with and lots of friends too. This is Hadley,” Nanny J introduced a Little girl, patting her on the head. Hadley was sitting at a table painting a kitty cat. “She and her Daddy are visiting for the week.”
She waved at Dallas. “Hadley is non-verbal, but she can communicate with you just fine.”
Dallas waved back. “I like your kitty cat.”
Hadley picked up a pink tablet and pressed something. “Thank you!” a voice said.
“Nanny J! Nanny J! Oh! Hi!” A Little boy came running toward Nanny J but stopped when he saw Dallas. “I’m Tommy!”
“Tommy, should you be running in the classroom?” Nanny J asked him, placing her hands on her hips.
“No, Ma’am,” he answered, his eyes comically big.
“Please go sit on the naughty chair until you can find your walking feet.”
“Yas, Ma’am,” he whined.
Nanny J waited until he was sitting in a blue chair facing the wall before turning back to Dallas and her Daddy.
“What kind of things do you like to do, Dallas?”
Scrubbing her toe on the ground, Dallas thought. “I like to paint and color.”
“Well, that’s perfect. Did you see our art area? You can use anything on this shelf to create your art,” Nanny J said, pointing to a shelf full of paper, paint, glue, scissors, and anything else a Little would need to create a masterpiece.
“That looks fun, right, Bitty?”
Dallas nodded. “Yes, Sir.”
“And I see a pretty dollhouse,” Pike said, leading her over to the area with Nanny J trailing behind.
“Teefs likes the dollhouse,” Dallas said, trying to sound braver than she felt.
“And we have rocking chairs so we can rock you if you need that, a changing table for diaper needs, and the best books for you to read,” Nanny J encouraged.
Daddy picked her up and settled her on his hip. “You’ll have so much fun tomorrow, Bitty.”